Quick: name a Canadian Idol winner. Unless you’re one of those people who fell for Kalan Porter’s curls or Ryan Malcolm’s glasses, chances are you can’t. Over its six-year run, Idol produced a lot of tears, drama and vocal histrionics, but no bona fide stars. Former contestant Sebastian Pigott may be the exception that proves the rule, having become a hot property despite never making it to the winner’s circle.Pigott’s biggest boost has come from CBC’s tweer-than-twee comedy Being Erica, on which the 28-year-old actor and singer plays Kai, the time-travelling barista with a penchant for writing power ballads. His blend of guileless sweetheart and brooding hunk has made him a fan favourite. (Kai was originally intended as a one-off, but he has since become a featured character and part of the series’ central lust triangle.) Pigott’s rocker persona gets a jazz reboot in Bomb Girls, a six-part miniseries about a group of young women working at a Canadian munitions factory during World War II—a kind of League of Their Own with bombs instead of baseballs. Pigott, decked out in fedoras and high-waisted suits, plays James, a straitlaced businessman who can’t accept his factory-working fiancée’s newfound sense of independence. James isn’t a complete stick-in-the-mud: Pigott, with his mile-wide smile, plays him less as chauvinistic villain than as amiable jerk, the product of his times. There’s no singing in the show, though Pigott does get the chance to show off some big-band dance moves. If lindy hopping had been part of the competition, Idol history might’ve turned out different.

Carly-Rae Jepsen is on her way up as well. I wish Sebastian well, but there are several former Canadian Idols who are more well known than him. No one has come close to Jacob Hoggard’s success though!!

Great Article, love when Canadian Talent gets a shot. However, Ryan Malcolm has been quite busy is in own right, with multiple awards and 5 Number Top 10 videos in Canada and Asia. His band Low Level Flight spend most of their time in Europe.